Facing block secured to a concrete



Apnili 25, 11954) W. H. KRUEGER FACING BLOCK SECURED TO A CONCRETE WALL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1943 ATTORNEY FACING BLOCK SECURED TO A CONCRETE WALL Filed. Jan. 27, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C was. 4 Y 77 Patented Apr. 25, 1950 FACING BLOCK SECURED TO A CONCRETE WALL William H. Krueger, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Buiiding Equpment Patents Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 27, 1943, Serial N 0. 473,734

2 Claims.

The main object of this invention is to provide for facing concrete walls of the type embodying tie rods comprehended by my former Patent No. 2,297,899, dated October 6, 1942.

Another object of the invention is to provide facing tiles with sockets for receiving the end of the tie rods, whicn sockets cooperate with a locking key seated in the key slot of the tie rod extremity.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a facing tile for concrete or other prefabricated walls, which will be extremely cheap in production and easy to manufacture, and which will be formed of a material available commercially and capable of desirable ornamental effects or designs suitable for utilization in a multiplicity of building situations where wall finish may be subject to administrative as well as artistic limitation.

The invention obviously comprehends the joining of the top, bottom or end faces of tile blocks, with respective top, bottom or end faces of similar brooks, so that one or more tie rods 2 with its or their anchoring keys shall equally bear each adjacent face of a block.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a wall embodyin the application of a finishing tile prior to its movement into locked position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the application of the invention as in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in which the tile has been moved to its locked position.

Fig. 6 is a front fragmentary elevation of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section taken through the tile at a point in the structure of line 44 of Fig. 1 but including a super-imposed tile in locked position.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the anchoring key, and

Fig. 9 is an end view of the anchoring key.

In illustrating the present invention I have ShOWn a concrete wall I cast in accordance with my prior Patent No. 2,297,899, dated October 6, 1942. to include cross ties 2 which are spaced at regular intervals and in accordance with predetermined design and requirement to accommodate facing tiles of different sizes as hereinafter described. The face tiles may include a backing or body 3 of suitable aggregate and a facing 4 of predetermined design or the entire tile unit may be molded or formed as an integral mass of identical aggregate. The type of facing tile used can be varied in accordance with the wishes of a builder or contractor, it being merely essential that these facing tiles include a body of such dimension as to permit the formation of sockets of predetermined design for locking engagement with the extremity of the tie member 2 and the locking key 5. In the illustration the wall I is shown as formed with a shelf 6 for supporting engagement with the lower face I of the bottom row of tiles which are to be attached thereto.

It will be noted that the tie members 2 extend a suitable distance beyond the side face of the wall and are provided in the present instance with vertically formed key slots. Each key slot includes the enlarged central portion :8 and the reduced end portions 9 and I0 and the shape of these key slots is such as to cooperate with the anchoring keys 5 shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9.

The anchoring key 5 is of elongated rectangular shape and generally square in cross section x with its dimensions such as to permit .it passing lengthwise through the enlarged central portion 8 of the key way in the end of the tie rod 2. Intermediate its length and at its front and rear walls the anchoring key 5 is formed with vertical grooves l2, the width and depth of which are such as to allow the same reciproca-ble cooperation with and travel upon the parallel edges at the reduced ends of the key slots in the tie rod. By this construction the key 5 can be inserted ap-- proximately half its length through the enlarged portion 8 of the key way in the end of the tie rod 2 and moved vertically to each side of the enlarged portion 8 to embrace the adjacent walls forming the reduced portions 9 of the key way. Thus the anchoring key 5 may be dropped into position upon the bottom of the key way in the end of the tie rods 2 and held against lateral movement upon positioning of the block on the tie rod as will more clearly hereinafter appear.

The body of the tile 3, while being molded, is formed with a cavity shaped to provide a socket portion M to receive the end of the tie rod 2 and a socket portion l5 to receive the key 5 associated therewith and to permit these parts to be moved horizontally and vertically with relation to the facing block during the positioning and anchor-- ing of the tile. This relative movement is obviously brought about by the shifting of the facing block during the seating movement on the tie rod and is essential in bringing about a locking of the various parts in accordance with the purpose of the invention.

In general the blocks 3-4, will be constructed to lock with each end of each tie rod 2 in pairs, i. e., the end of the tie rod 2 and the anchoring key 5 are. constructed and arranged to cooperate with an'lock an;adjacent pair ofifacing blocks or tiles by cooperation with their companion sockets. In view of this fact the construction of the blocks 3-4 which are to be assembled with the tie rod 2 in pairs will fil'Stbe deSCTibed. 'In this type of block the locking socket which is molded to receive the end of the tie rod andthe anchoring key is formed along ,one side oi? the block, the formation being preferablyateachtside, of each block and intermediate the length of the abutting side walls of the blocks and ina manner so that the sockets of each adjacent side wall will cooperate to form an anchoring meansior each tie rod end. This is accomplished by the socket in the-side wall of each-block being constructed of sufli r tdirnension t accommodateonlyone half of thetie iod and one-half of-the anchorin keyahd in this mannertwo blocks willcooperate to lock'ea ch other to a single-tie rod when ,the sjare arranged in their predetermined The locking socket :can be providedrat -.eac h end'of each tile or block or/andat thetopand bottomof eachtileor block, such arrangements as previously stated being of'half dimension with frespectto the tie rod 2 and th anchoring key .5 and ccoperating with a s1; structure of the adjacent-tile.or-block. In Fig. l suchablock is illustrated with the cavity or recess 14 formed .in its side face and of greater width than the ,width of the tie rod 2 to permit relative .move- ,ment of thelatter in the looking ottheblook by shifting of the blockas will be hereinafter {fur- --ther de'scribed. The'recess lQjlS Of a depth ap proximatingoneahalf the thickness of thejtie rod whichseats therein. It will be noted that the blockisbf such thickness that the end fpthe tie-rod .2 does not extend through the wall but stops inwardly of the outer wall face to avoid weakening the structureat this point. .Eormed in the block and suitably arranged-within the .cQnfi-nes of the recess M isran L shaped slot, the shank 15 of which extends horizontally from the inner face inwardlywithintheblock, withthe foot portion of the L extending vertically and substantially parallel with the outer face-of the block. The dimension of this. L Shaped slot is such to accommodate one-half of the protruding .portionof theanchoring key and to permit movement of this key within the slot during gpositioning and locking of the block ,3 by inward and vertical movement. The foot ll 6 of theILH-shaped slot is so formed and arranged that a vertical center line extending medially of the key body Ill win also extend medially of the ,key slot in the tie rod .2,

Needless to say thatthe sockets inthe event that the tie rods are arranged horizontally rather than vertically as in the present illustration, 11 .3 3 ef rmed in the upperand lower'suriaoes of the'tile block, in which. instance the construction and application of the block would be identi- .cal with that at present illustrated except that both of the. movements for locking the parts will be. in a horizontal plane rather than horizonta y and vertically as in the present illustration.

In applyin blocks to the wall it will be .advisable to start at the bottom so that the lower blocks will in their seated position engage and asoaev "tachingta'singleiblock or a combination of blocks pnportioiaelb of the sockets seating over the -'ends of the anchoring keys as shown in Figure 6.

.By means f-proper removable cores, in the molding of.the tie;.blocks or facing members, any combinationnf .eaizities may be provided for at- .to a single the rod or a combination of tie rods. In'Fi'gf'i a view is shown, corresponding to Eig.;4,lin which the upper tile is positioned above a lower tile, the two tile structures forming the mm ls er ockete lrhe tion ofi-the. t and the ;key. :In substantially-all instances.- the invention-will beusedeas shown, i. e.;with half of the .lccking..-recesses .formedin each of two b ttl s a ci wq ad cent. le with t c sse nmpe v eg te n ve he-tie rodzanctkev Wheres is intendedthat the-finishing blocks or tile are to become a permanent part of the e ie e Walt-it will' c appare t .'-one kil1 d n 'he erttha n thi in tan su a l em n .will be -.p laced within -.the cavities nreceiving the :tie, rod extremities and .anchoring keys so that wh n. increment. i h rden d h b ks w l fi edly. u edthcrs e- This, f ur e ma apply in instances where the cavities are :tormed .na ial rqn ad acent .-p0 i ad ent faces of the blocks ;or wherethe cavity ris -to be formed entirely in a single block. The usual methodof shel in assmsnt etw ent el ksm bew tlrablocks andtheconerete wall mayalso be utilizedalthough withithepresent locking arranges ti m e n ce sar to a d h la ki g means. furnished by the presentinvention.

I claim:

l. Incombination with a concrete. wall-having a tiered .fixedly .irnbeddeei therein with its end portion projectingthereirom, said tie, :rod having a ra ly attend n ra s er l a e 11mjection at its free end, a facing block, saidsfiacing block being tormed with; a first :recess extending outwardly from-itsirner tace and greceiv-ing the end of the tie .rod, said; recess being 'of'greater diameter than the width of said tie rod, providing for :relative movement between the tie .rod

and facing blockin thedirectionof the width of thetie ro'd whenassembled, andan L-shapedae- 1CeS S,..1 n the-bottom oi thefirstrecess having acne leg extending ,oiitward-ly from the inner iace of theblock and its otherleg extending parallel to and pac a nem the inner-face of the block whereby said removable projection is initiallylin- .-ser-t.ed into the first leg of the "L-shap'ed recess and then'upon shifting of the block relative to the tieprod; is finally. seated-into locking position in the second leg.

2. .In combination with a concrete, wall having a tie rod fixedly. imbeolded therein with its end portion projecting therefrom, said tie rod being formed with, a transverse, slotadiacent its free end and said slot having an enlarged medial portion, a transversely slidableikey arranged in. said slot, said key. being formed with transverse grooves .inits outer .face receiving. the walls defining thpe slot, a'facing block, said facing block 51 being formed with a first recess extending outwardly from its inner face and receiving the end of the tie rod, said recess being of greater diameter than the width of said tie rod providing for relative movement between the tie rod and facing block in the direction of the width of the tie rod when assembled, and an L-shaped recess in the bottom of the first recess having one leg extending outwardly from the inner face of the block and its other leg extending parallel to and spaced from the inner face of the block, whereby said key is initially inserted into the first leg of the L-shaped recess and then upon shifting of the block relative to the tie rod is finally seated into locking position in the second leg.

WILLIAM H. KRUEGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Kann Oct. 13, 1903 Schaefer et al Aug. 4, 1925 Burris Nov. 2, 1926 Schubert Oct. 22, 1929 Hopper et a1. Mar. 18, 1930 Piazza Oct. 9, 1934 Richter Oct. 29, 1935 Ross June 16, 1936 Schutz June 17, 1941 Putnam Nov. 24, 1942 Bossi Dec. 8, 1942 Hohl Jan. 12, 1943 FOREIGN EATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1898 France May 15, 1933 

